Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)

Directed by Elizabeth Banks

Based on the book “Pitch Perfect” by Mickey Rapkin

Screenplay by Kay Cannon

A raunchy performance mishap has threatened the future of the Barden Bellas. Now they’re hoping to save their group by becoming the first American group to win the international a cappella championship.

Pitch Perfect came about after Mickey Rapkin wrote the book of the same name. The work of non-fiction documented the somewhat unknown world of a cappella groups. After the success of the first film, you had to know a sequel would follow. Once again the screenplay came from Kay Cannon (New Girl). This time around it was Elizabeth Banks (The Lego Movie) in the director’s chair. Anna Kendrick (50/50), Rebel Wilson (Bridesmaids), and Ben Platt (Ricki and the Flash) return along with a lot of other cast members from the first film. Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) and Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy) are a couple of the new faces.

This is another fun story from Kay Cannon. This time around she upped the crude comedy and added in a few fun twists. This story is interesting, but it definitely isn’t as good as the first film. While there are fun arcs for some of the main characters, it doesn’t do anything surprising with the plot. It really just works as a vehicle for the outrageous comedic bits and the music. That being said, the comedy and the music blend together nicely, and this should appeal to anyone who loved the first film.

The acting in this one works nicely. Kendrick and Wilson are two of the standouts in this massive ensemble of actors. Ben Platt also comes back with a bigger role that really plays into the story nicely. This time around the film benefited from the addition of Katey Sagal and Hailee Steinfeld. After Ender’s Game and True Grit I was happy to see a funny role from Steinfeld. Sagal also came off of a solid dramatic role on Sons of Anarchy and it was cool to see something light from her as well. Overall, the cast does an excellent job with this one. The musical moments also come together nicely from this talented cast.

This movie is all about the music. The medley and mash-ups come at you right from the start of this one. Once again the production found nice uses for newer music and older songs. As I pointed out before, the stars in this one do a good job bringing the musical moments to life. This one also has some fun cameos that play into the wildly ridiculous nature of the film.

This is a very nice followup to the first film. The story provides a nice vehicle for the music and the comedy to shine. If you’re a fan of the first film this is one you need to see. I would also recommend this one to fans of any of the stars. The comedy is a bit more crude, so it might not be the best family film. I give this one 3.7 out of 5 stars.